Validation of clock to provide security for time locked data

ABSTRACT

A computational device receives an input/output (I/O) operation directed to a data set. In response to determining that there is a time lock on the data set, a determination is made as to whether a clock of the computational device is providing a correct time. In response to determining that the clock of the computational device is not providing the correct time, the I/O operation is restricted from accessing the data set. In response to determining that the clock of the computational device is providing the correct time, a determination is made from one or more time entries of the time lock whether to provide the I/O operation with access to the data set.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

Embodiments relate to validation of clock to provide security for timelocked data.

2. Background

In certain storage system environments, a storage controller (or astorage controller complex) may comprise a plurality of storage serversthat are coupled to each other. The storage controller allows hostcomputing systems to perform input/output (I/O) operations with storagedevices controlled by the storage controller, where the host computingsystems may be referred to as hosts.

A time lock is a mechanism that locks data for a period of time. U.S.Pat. No. 9,218,295 describes a method for implementing time locks. U.S.Pat. No. 8,185,754 describes a method for time-based storage access.U.S. Pat. No. 7,313,557 describes a multi-protocol lock manager thatmanages granting, revoking and releasing of various types of locks onfiles. U.S. Pat. No. 7,010,493 describes a method for managing access tostorage resources according to an access time.

SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Provided are a method, system, and computer program product in which acomputational device receives an input/output (I/O) operation directedto a data set. In response to determining that there is a time lock onthe data set, a determination is made as to whether a clock of thecomputational device is providing a correct time. In response todetermining that the clock of the computational device is not providingthe correct time, the I/O operation is restricted from accessing thedata set. In response to determining that the clock of the computationaldevice is providing the correct time, a determination is made from oneor more time entries of the time lock whether to provide the I/Ooperation with access to the data set. As a result, a time locked dataset is protected even if the clock of the computational device ischanged to indicate an incorrect time.

In further embodiments, the determining of whether the clock of thecomputation device is providing the correct time is performed bycomparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime provided via a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver of thecomputational device. As a result, a time determined by the GPS receiveris used to validate the clock of the computational device.

In additional embodiments, the determining of whether the clock of thecomputation device is providing the correct time is performed bycomparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime provided via an atomic clock. As a result, a time determined by anatomic clock is used to validate the clock of the computational device.

In certain embodiments, the determining of whether the clock of thecomputational device is providing the correct time is performed bycomparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime estimated from a log file of the computational device. As a result,a time estimated by a log file is used to validate the clock of thecomputational device.

In certain embodiments, the log file records times of previous access orattempts to access the data set, and a passage of time in thecomputational device. As a result, the log file prevents maliciouschanges to the clock of the computational from accessing time lockeddata.

In additional embodiments, the determining from one or more time entriesof the time lock of whether to provide the I/O operation with access tothe data set comprises determining whether the I/O operation meets acriteria provided by the one or more time entries of the time lock.Additionally, in response to determining that the I/O operation meetsthe criteria provided by the one or more entries of the time lock, theI/O operation is restricted from accessing the data set and an errorindicating that the data set is time locked is returned. Furthermore, inresponse to determining that the I/O operation does not meet thecriteria provided by the one or more entries of the time lock, the I/Ooperation is performed on the data set. As a result, time locked data isnot allowed to be accessed based on time entries in the time lock.

In yet additional embodiments, the criteria indicates one or more timedurations during which access to the data set is to be prevented. As aresult, time locked data is not allowed to be accessed based on timeentries that indicate one or more time durations during which access isto be prevented to the data set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computing environment comprisinga storage controller coupled to one or more hosts, and one or morestorage devices, for management of time locks, in accordance withcertain embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram that shows elements described by anexemplary time lock, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart that shows determining whether the clockof a storage controller is correct before allowing access to time lockeddata, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart that shows determining whether the clockof a storage controller is correct, based on GPS data, in accordancewith certain embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart that shows determining whether the clockof a storage controller is correct, based on an atomic clock, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram that shows a log file that recordsaccesses and attempts to access a data set, where the log file keepstrack of time, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart that shows determining whether the clockof a storage controller is correct, based on the log file, in accordancewith certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart that shows determining whether a clock ofa computational device is correct, prior to allowing access to data thatis subject to a time lock, in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a cloud computing environment, inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of further details of the cloudcomputing environment of FIG. 9, in accordance with certain embodiments;and

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a computational system that showscertain elements that may be included in the storage controller or thehost, as described in FIGS. 1-10, in accordance with certainembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings which form a part hereof and which illustrate severalembodiments. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized andstructural and operational changes may be made.

There may be several reasons for a storage controller to protect datawith a time lock. For example, there may be legal reasons to not allowaccess to data for a certain period of time. In situations where no oneaccesses certain data during certain periods of time, the time lock mayprovide a safety mechanism to prevent a breach of access to the dataduring those times.

For data that may be subject to a time lock (i.e., time locked data) theclock of the computational device that controls the data is veryimportant, as based on the time provided by the clock and the parametersof the time lock, an I/O operation may be allowed or prevented fromaccessing the data.

However in certain situations the clock may be changed to indicate anincorrect time, via a computer virus, drift of the clock, inadvertentchange of time, programmer time, etc. The clock that indicates anincorrect time may allow access to data when the data is time locked.

Certain embodiments provide mechanisms to check whether a clock iscorrect, prior to allowing access to time locked data. As a result,greater security is provided to time locked data and malicious orinadvertent access to time locked data may be prevented.

Exemplary Embodiments

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computing environment 100comprising a storage controller 102 coupled to one or more hosts 104,106, and one or more storage devices 108, 110, in accordance withcertain embodiments. The storage controller 102 allows the plurality ofhosts 104, 106 to perform input/output (I/O) operations with logicalstorage maintained by the storage controller 102. The physical storagecorresponding to the logical storage may be found in one or more of thestorage devices 108, 110 of the storage controller 102.

The storage controller 102 and the hosts 104, 106 may comprise anysuitable computational device including those presently known in theart, such as, a personal computer, a workstation, a server, a mainframe,a hand held computer, a palm top computer, a telephony device, a networkappliance, a blade computer, a processing device, etc. The storagecontroller 102, the hosts 104, 106, and the storage devices 108, 110 maybe elements in any suitable network, such as, a storage area network, awide area network, the Internet, an intranet. In certain embodiments,the storage controller 102, the hosts 104, 106, and the storage devices108, 110 may be elements in a cloud computing environment that comprisesthe computing environment 100. The storage devices 108, 110 may becomprised of storage disks, tape drives, solid state storage, etc., andmay be controlled by the storage controller 102.

In certain embodiments, a time lock application 112 that executes in thestorage controller 102 may generate one or more time locks 114 toprotect a data set 116 for one or more predetermined duration of times.The time lock application 112 may be implemented in software, hardware,firmware or any combination thereof.

For data set 116 that may be subject to the time lock 114, the clock 118of the storage controller 102 is very important, as based on the timeprovided by the clock 118 and the parameters of the time lock 114, anI/O operation from a host 104, 106 may be allowed or prevented fromaccessing the data set 116.

However in certain situations the clock 118 may be changed to indicatean incorrect time, via a computer virus, drift of the clock 118,inadvertent change of time by a user or a program, etc. If the clock 118indicates an incorrect time, the storage controller 102 may allow accessto data set 116 when the data is time locked 116.

Certain embodiments provide mechanisms to check whether a clock 118 iscorrect prior to allowing access to time locked data, by validating theclock 118 against a time provided by a GPS receiver 120 of the storagecontroller 102 that generates an independent indication of time based onGPS satellites 122. Other embodiments provide mechanisms to checkwhether the clock 118 is correct prior to allowing access to time lockeddata, by validating the clock 118 against a time provided by an atomicclock 124 in communication with the storage controller 102 via anetwork, where the atomic clock 124 generates an independent indicationof time. Further embodiments provide mechanisms to check whether theclock 118 is correct prior to allowing access to time locked data, byvalidating the clock 118 against estimates of time provided by one ormore log files 126 maintained in the storage controller 102, where thelog files 126 store access times of the data set 116 and also keepstrack of the progress of time in the storage controller 102.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram 200 that shows elements described byan exemplary time lock 114. The time lock 114 may indicate volumes[(i.e., logical units (LUNs)] and/or parts of volumes locked by the timelock 114 (as shown via reference numeral 202). For example, in certainembodiments the time lock 114 may indicate that volume A, volume B, andvolume C from location X to location Y are locked by the time lock 114.The data set 116 with which the time lock 114 is associated may bestored in the volumes and/or parts of volumes.

The time lock 114 may also indicate the duration for which the time lock114 is in effect (as shown via reference numeral 204). For example, incertain embodiments, the time lock 114 may be in effect every day from10 AM to 8 PM. In other embodiments, the time lock 114 may be in effectfor the whole day every Saturday and Sunday. In still furtherembodiments, the time lock 114 may be in effect from 12 AM Saturday to11:59 PM Sunday. In yet another embodiment, the time lock may be ineffect from Date X onwards (e.g., from Dec. 12, 2017 onwards).

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart 300 that shows determining whether theclock 118 of a storage controller 102 is correct before allowing accessto time locked data, in accordance with certain embodiments. Theoperations shown in FIG. 3 may be performed by the time lock application112 that executes in the storage controller 102.

Control starts at block 302 in which storage controller 102 receives anI/O operation on a volume from a host 104. The time lock application 112determines (at block 304) whether there is a time lock on the volume. Ifso (“Yes” branch 306) the time lock application 112 determines (at block308) whether the clock 118 of the storage controller 102 is correct(i.e., the clock 118 shows the correct time).

If at block 308, the time lock application 112 determines that the clock118 of the storage controller 102 is correct (“Yes” branch 310) controlproceeds to block 312 in which the time lock application 112 determineswhether the I/O operation meets the criteria for the time locksassociated with the volume, by analyzing the time locks associated withthe volume. A time lock meets the criteria if all of below conditionsare true: (a) The time lock on the volume covers the time of operation;and (b) The time lock covers the entire volume or part of the volume,the I/O operation is intended for.

If the criteria is met (“Yes” branch 314) control proceeds to block 316in which the storage controller 102 returns an error condition to thehost 104 to indicate that the I/O operation cannot be completed becauseof the time lock associated with the volume.

At block 304, if the volume is not time locked (“No” branch 318) controlproceeds to block 320 in which the I/O operation is allowed to proceed.Additionally, if at block 312, if it is determined that the criteria forthe time lock is not met (“No” branch 322) then control proceeds toblock 320 in which the I/O operation is allowed to proceed.

If at block 308, the time lock application 112 determines that the clock118 of the storage controller 102 is not correct (“No” branch 324)control proceeds to block 326 in which the time lock application 112returns an error to the host 104 to indicate that the clock 118 of thestorage controller 102 is incorrect. The time lock application 112 alsoprevents the I/O operation from being performed on the time lockedvolume.

Therefore, FIG. 3 shows operations in which access to time locked datais not allowed when the clock 118 of the storage controller 102 shows anincorrect time.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart 400 that shows determining whether theclock 118 of a storage controller 102 is correct, based on GPS data, inaccordance with certain embodiments. The operations shown in FIG. 4 maybe performed by the time lock application 112 that executes in thestorage controller 102.

Control starts at block 402 in which the time lock application 112determines the time provided by the clock 118 of the storage controller102, and also determines the time determined via the GPS receiver 120 ofthe storage controller 102 from the GPS satellites 122.

From block 402 control proceeds to block 404 in which the time lockapplication 112 determines whether the times provided by the clock 118of the storage controller 102 and the time determined by the GPSreceiver 120 are consistent (i.e., the two times are the same orsufficiently close, e.g., the two times do not differ by more than 10seconds or some other predetermined amount of time).

If so (“Yes” branch 406), control proceeds to block 408 in which thetime lock application 112 indicates that the clock 118 of the storagecontroller 102 is correct. If not (“No” branch 410), control proceeds toblock 412 in which the time lock application 112 indicates that theclock 118 of the storage controller 102 is incorrect.

Therefore, FIG. 4 shows operations to validate the clock 118 of thestorage controller 102, via the time independently determined by the GPSreceiver 120 from the GPS satellites 122.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart 500 that shows determining whether theclock 118 of a storage controller 102 is correct based on an atomicclock 124, in accordance with certain embodiments. The operations shownin FIG. 5 may be performed by the time lock application 112 thatexecutes in the storage controller 102.

Control starts at block 502 in which the time lock application 112determines the time provided by the clock 118 of the storage controller102, and also determines the time determined via the atomic clock 124over a network that couples the atomic clock 124 to the storagecontroller 102. The storage controller 102 may directly or indirectlyvia other devices secure the time indicated by the atomic clock 124.

From block 502 control proceeds to block 504 in which the time lockapplication 112 determines whether the times provided by the clock 118of the storage controller 102 and the time determined from the atomicclock 124 are consistent (i.e., the two times are the same orsufficiently close, e.g., the two times do not differ by more than 10seconds).

If so (“Yes” branch 506), control proceeds to block 508 in which thetime lock application 112 indicates that the clock 118 of the storagecontroller 102 is correct. If not (“No” branch 510), control proceeds toblock 512 in which the time lock application 112 indicates that theclock 118 of the storage controller 102 is incorrect.

Therefore, FIG. 5 shows operations to validate the clock 118 of thestorage controller 102 via the time independently determined by theatomic clock 124.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 that shows a log file 126 thatrecords accesses and attempts to access a data set 116, where the logfile 126 keeps track of time, in accordance with certain embodiments (asshown via reference numeral 602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612).

In the exemplary log file 126, entries are recorded every minute. Forexample, entry 604 is recorded at 2:01 PM, and entry 606 is recorded at2:02 PM. If subsequent to the writing of the entry 604 but prior to thewriting of entry 606, the clock 118 shows a time of 1 PM of the sameday, then it may be concluded that the clock 118 is showing an incorrecttime as the previous entry 604 was written at 2:01 PM and the timecannot go back to 1 PM as shown by the clock 118. Instead of clocktimes, the log file 126 may record a sequence corresponding to the clocktimes, and if an entry occurs out of sequence, the time lock application112 may indicate a potentially incorrect clock 118. The time or sequencerecordings in the log file 126 is based on the clock 118.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart 700 that shows determining whether theclock 118 of a storage controller 102 is correct based on the log file126, in accordance with certain embodiments. The operations shown inFIG. 7 may be performed by the time lock application 112 that executesin the storage controller 102.

Control starts at block 701 in which the time lock application 112maintains log files 126 in the storage controller 102, where the logfiles 126 record sequences and/or times of previous access or attemptsto access the data set 116, and the passage of time in the storagecontroller 102. Control proceeds to block 702 in which the time lockapplication 112 determines the time provided by the clock 118 of thestorage controller 102, and also determines the time determined via alog file 126 by examining the last entry of the log file 126 (e.g.,entry 612).

From block 702 control proceeds to block 704 in which the time lockapplication 112 determines whether the times provided by the clock 118of the storage controller 102 and the time determined from log file 126are consistent (i.e., the two times are the same or sufficiently close,e.g., the two times do not differ by more than 10 seconds).

If so (“Yes” branch 706), control proceeds to block 708 in which thetime lock application 112 indicates that the clock 118 of the storagecontroller 102 is correct. If not (“No” branch 710), control proceeds toblock 712 in which the time lock application 112 indicates that theclock 118 of the storage controller 102 is incorrect.

Therefore, FIG. 7 shows operations to validate the clock 118 of thestorage controller 102 via the time independently estimated by the logfile 126.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart 800 that shows determining whether aclock 118 of a computational device 102 (e.g. storage controller 102) iscorrect, prior to allowing access to time locked data, in accordancewith certain embodiments. The operations shown in FIG. 8 may beperformed by the time lock application 112 that executes in the storagecontroller 102.

Control starts at block 802 in which a computational device 102 (e.g., astorage controller 102) receives an input/output (I/O) operationdirected to a data set 116. In response to determining that there is atime lock 114 on the data set 116, a determination is made (at block804) as to whether a clock 118 of the computational device 102 isproviding a correct time.

From block 804 control proceeds to block 806, in which in response todetermining that the clock 118 of the computational device 102 is notproviding the correct time, the I/O operation is restricted fromaccessing the data set 116. In response to determining that the clock118 of the computational device 102 is providing the correct time, adetermination is made (at block 808) from one or more time entries (e.g.time entry 204) of the time lock 114 whether to provide the I/Ooperation with access to the data set 116.

Therefore FIGS. 1-8 illustrate certain embodiments in which the timelock application 112 of a storage controller 102 determines whether toallow access to a data set 116 that may be time locked, based on anindependent validation of the time indicated by the clock 118 of thestorage controller.

Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand networkaccess to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g.,networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can berapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orservice provider interaction.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an illustrative cloud computing environment 50is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 9 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 10, a set of functional abstraction layersprovided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 9) is shown. It shouldbe understood in advance that the components, layers, and functionsshown in FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments ofthe invention are not limited thereto.

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes, in oneexample IBM zSeries* systems; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)architecture based servers, in one example IBM pSeries* systems; IBMxSeries* systems; IBM BladeCenter* systems; storage devices; networksand networking components. Examples of software components includenetwork application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere*application server software; and database software, in one example IBMDB2* database software. * IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter,WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International Business MachinesCorporation registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.

Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 64 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement of computingresources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks withinthe cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing provide costtracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computingenvironment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and time lock processing 68 as shown in FIGS. 1-10.

Additional Embodiment Details

The described operations may be implemented as a method, apparatus orcomputer program product using standard programming and/or engineeringtechniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combinationthereof. Accordingly, aspects of the embodiments may take the form of anentirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore,aspects of the embodiments may take the form of a computer programproduct. The computer program product may include a computer readablestorage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructionsthereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the presentembodiments.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present embodiments may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments are described herein with referenceto flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instruction.

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram that shows certain elements that maybe included in the storage controller 102, the host 104, 106, or othercomputational devices in accordance with certain embodiments. The system1100 may include a circuitry 1102 that may in certain embodimentsinclude at least a processor 1104. The system 1100 may also include amemory 1106 (e.g., a volatile memory device), and storage 1108. Thestorage 1108 may include a non-volatile memory device (e.g., EEPROM,ROM, PROM, flash, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), magnetic diskdrive, optical disk drive, tape drive, etc. The storage 1108 maycomprise an internal storage device, an attached storage device and/or anetwork accessible storage device. The system 1100 may include a programlogic 1110 including code 1112 that may be loaded into the memory 1106and executed by the processor 1104 or circuitry 1102. In certainembodiments, the program logic 1110 including code 1112 may be stored inthe storage 1108. In certain other embodiments, the program logic 1110may be implemented in the circuitry 1102. One or more of the componentsin the system 1100 may communicate via a bus or via other coupling orconnection 1114. Therefore, while FIG. 11 shows the program logic 1110separately from the other elements, the program logic 1110 may beimplemented in the memory 1106 and/or the circuitry 1102.

Certain embodiments may be directed to a method for deploying computinginstruction by a person or automated processing integratingcomputer-readable code into a computing system, wherein the code incombination with the computing system is enabled to perform theoperations of the described embodiments.

The terms “an embodiment”, “embodiment”, “embodiments”, “theembodiment”, “the embodiments”, “one or more embodiments”, “someembodiments”, and “one embodiment” mean “one or more (but not all)embodiments of the present invention(s)” unless expressly specifiedotherwise.

The terms “including”, “comprising”, “having” and variations thereofmean “including but not limited to”, unless expressly specifiedotherwise.

The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of theitems are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms “a”, “an” and “the” mean “one or more”, unless expresslyspecified otherwise.

Devices that are in communication with each other need not be incontinuous communication with each other, unless expressly specifiedotherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication with eachother may communicate directly or indirectly through one or moreintermediaries.

A description of an embodiment with several components in communicationwith each other does not imply that all such components are required. Onthe contrary a variety of optional components are described toillustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the presentinvention.

Further, although process steps, method steps, algorithms or the likemay be described in a sequential order, such processes, methods andalgorithms may be configured to work in alternate orders. In otherwords, any sequence or order of steps that may be described does notnecessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in thatorder. The steps of processes described herein may be performed in anyorder practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readilyapparent that more than one device/article (whether or not theycooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly,where more than one device or article is described herein (whether ornot they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a singledevice/article may be used in place of the more than one device orarticle or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead ofthe shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or thefeatures of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more otherdevices which are not explicitly described as having suchfunctionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the present inventionneed not include the device itself.

At least certain operations that may have been illustrated in thefigures show certain events occurring in a certain order. In alternativeembodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order,modified or removed. Moreover, steps may be added to the above describedlogic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further,operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operationsmay be processed in parallel. Yet further, operations may be performedby a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.

The foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseform disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in lightof the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto. The above specification, examples and data provide acomplete description of the manufacture and use of the composition ofthe invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, theinvention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by acomputational device, an input/output (I/O) operation directed to a dataset; in response to determining that there is a time lock on the dataset, determining whether a clock of the computational device isproviding a correct time; in response to determining that the clock ofthe computational device is not providing the correct time, restrictingthe I/O operation from accessing the data set; and in response todetermining that the clock of the computational device is providing thecorrect time, determining from one or more time entries of the time lockwhether to provide the I/O operation with access to the data set.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the clock of thecomputational device is providing the correct time is performed by:comparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime provided via a GPS receiver of the computational device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the clock of thecomputational device is providing the correct time is performed by:comparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime provided via an atomic clock.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetermining of whether the clock of the computational device isproviding the correct time is performed by: comparing a time provided bythe clock of the computational device and a time estimated from a logfile of the computational device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein thelog file records times of previous access or attempts to access the dataset, and a passage of time in the computational device.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining from one or more time entries of the timelock whether to provide the I/O operation with access to the data setcomprises: determining whether the I/O operation meets a criteriaprovided by the one or more time entries of the time lock; in responseto determining that the I/O operation meets the criteria provided by theone or more entries of the time lock, restricting the I/O operation fromaccessing the data set and returning an error indicating that the dataset is time locked; and in response to determining that the I/Ooperation does not meet the criteria provided by the one or more entriesof the time lock, performing the I/O operation on the data set.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the criteria indicates one or more timedurations during which access to the data set is to be prevented.
 8. Asystem, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory,wherein the processor performs operations, the operations comprising:receiving an input/output (I/O) operation directed to a data set; inresponse to determining that there is a time lock on the data set,determining whether a clock of the system is providing a correct time;in response to determining that the clock is not providing the correcttime, restricting the I/O operation from accessing the data set; and inresponse to determining that the clock of the system is providing thecorrect time, determining from one or more time entries of the time lockwhether to provide the I/O operation with access to the data set.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8, wherein the determining of whether the clock isproviding the correct time is performed by: comparing a time provided bythe clock and a time provided via a GPS receiver.
 10. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the determining of whether the clock is providing thecorrect time is performed by: comparing a time provided by the clock anda time provided via an atomic clock.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereinthe determining of whether the clock is providing the correct time isperformed by: comparing a time provided by the clock and a timeestimated from a log file.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the logfile records times of previous access or attempts to access the dataset, and a passage of time.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereindetermining from one or more time entries of the time lock whether toprovide the I/O operation with access to the data set comprises:determining whether the I/O operation meets a criteria provided by theone or more time entries of the time lock; in response to determiningthat the I/O operation meets the criteria provided by the one or moreentries of the time lock, restricting the I/O operation from accessingthe data set and returning an error indicating that the data set is timelocked; and in response to determining that the I/O operation does notmeet the criteria provided by the one or more entries of the time lock,performing the I/O operation on the data set.
 14. The system of claim13, wherein the criteria indicates one or more time durations duringwhich access to the data set is to be prevented.
 15. A computer programproduct, the computer program product comprising a computer readablestorage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith,the computer readable program code configured to perform operations on aprocessor of a computational device, the operations comprising:receiving, by the computational device, an input/output (I/O) operationdirected to a data set; in response to determining that there is a timelock on the data set, determining whether a clock of the computationaldevice is providing a correct time; in response to determining that theclock of the computational device is not providing the correct time,restricting the I/O operation from accessing the data set; and inresponse to determining that the clock of the computational device isproviding the correct time, determining from one or more time entries ofthe time lock whether to provide the I/O operation with access to thedata set.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein thedetermining of whether the clock of the computational device isproviding the correct time is performed by: comparing a time provided bythe clock of the computational device and a time provided via a GPSreceiver of the computational device.
 17. The computer program productof claim 15, wherein the determining of whether the clock of thecomputational device is providing the correct time is performed by:comparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime provided via an atomic clock.
 18. The computer program product ofclaim 15, wherein the determining of whether the clock of thecomputational device is providing the correct time is performed by:comparing a time provided by the clock of the computational device and atime estimated from a log file of the computational device.
 19. Thecomputer program product of claim 18, wherein the log file records timesof previous access or attempts to access the data set, and a passage oftime in the computational device.
 20. The computer program product ofclaim 15, wherein determining from one or more time entries of the timelock whether to provide the I/O operation with access to the data setcomprises: determining whether the I/O operation meets a criteriaprovided by the one or more time entries of the time lock; in responseto determining that the I/O operation meets the criteria provided by theone or more entries of the time lock, restricting the I/O operation fromaccessing the data set and returning an error indicating that the dataset is time locked; and in response to determining that the I/Ooperation does not meet the criteria provided by the one or more entriesof the time lock, performing the I/O operation on the data set.
 21. Thecomputer program product of claim 20, wherein the criteria indicates oneor more time durations during which access to the data set is to beprevented.
 22. A storage controller, wherein the storage controller isconfigured to perform operations, the operations comprising: receivingan input/output (I/O) operation directed to a data set; in response todetermining that there is a time lock on the data set, determiningwhether a clock of the storage controller is providing a correct time;in response to determining that the clock is not providing the correcttime, restricting the I/O operation from accessing the data set; and inresponse to determining that the clock is providing the correct time,determining from one or more time entries of the time lock whether toprovide the I/O operation with access to the data set.
 23. The storagecontroller of claim 22, wherein the determining of whether the clock isproviding the correct time is performed by: comparing a time provided bythe clock and a time provided via a GPS receiver.
 24. The storagecontroller of claim 22, wherein the determining of whether the clock isproviding the correct time is performed by: comparing a time provided bythe clock of the storage controller and a time provided via an atomicclock.
 25. The storage controller of claim 22, wherein the determiningof whether the clock is providing the correct time is performed by:comparing a time provided by the clock and a time estimated from a logfile.